Ferrari on Tuesday confirmed reports that Pat Fry is joining the famous Italian team.

It emerged at the weekend that the 46-year-old Briton, who until recently was heading McLaren’s 2011 car project as long-time joint chief engineer, was linked with a move to the Maranello based squad.

Italian reports had said Fry, although currently on compulsory ‘gardening leave’, will be able to have an impact on Ferrari’s next car.

A team statement on Tuesday confirmed that Fry will begin his new role as assistant technical director, reporting to Aldo Costa, on 1 July.

Ferrari said the “structure of the technical department remains (otherwise) unchanged”.

Fry joined McLaren from Benetton in 1993.

“I think it was probably good for him, the right decision for him to take a bit of a break, take a breather,” McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh said last month.

(GMM)

Pat Symonds could soon be working with the famous British team Williams.

The authoritative Italian magazine Autosprint is linking Renault’s former long-time executive director of engineering with the Grove based team.

With his five-year crashgate ban reduced to three years in a recent deal with the FIA, 56-year-old Briton Symonds said recently that his company Neutrino Dynamics could be engaged immediately for F1 consultancy work.

Autosprint said Symonds could be a consultant for the design of Williams’ FW33 car for 2011.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s recently departed chief engineer Pat Fry is also being linked with other formula one teams.

He has just begun a compulsory six months of so-called ‘gardening leave’, but Finland’s Turun Sanomat is already linking him with possible moves to Red Bull, Mercedes, Toro Rosso or Force India.

(GMM)